Fight for your Life
by Oneturtledove
Summary: Just another fight story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: They are not mine. I never owned them, or stock in them, or action figures in them. I do not personally know someone who owns them, nor have I even shaken hands with someone of that caliber. I make no money off of this. If anything, I spend money expanding my hard drive so I have room for all the stories that my coffee-addled mind spits out.

Spoilers: Season 6. I really need to pretend that season and Diana never happened. It really takes up a lot of my time.

A/N: I just found this. I must have been peeved when I wrote it. Or maybe I was coming off that nasty 15 page paper in Dev. Psych and I wanted to kill the world. I don't remember when I wrote this... but I am glad I did. And yes, it does follow the "Diana splits them up" story line. Live and learn, ladies and germs.

* * *

_September 1_

She was ready to claw his eyes out. It was one ditch too many, landing him in the hospital. And Diana Fowley had been involved. Things were not shaping up well for her partner. He was back at work today, cocky and arrogant, and feeling mighty proud of himself. Getting injured had been for naught, as they hadn't even found what they were searching for. Scully was not above believing that Diana had somehow benefited from the escapade.

"Scully? Hello?" Mulder said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"What?"

"I just asked you a question."

"Well, I wasn't paying attention."

"You haven't been paying attention to me all day."

"What do you want?" she yelled, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Whoa, why are you mad at me?"

"Who said I was mad at you?"

"Your voice just did. What did I do?"

"It doesn't matter, Mulder."

"If it's making you yell at me, then yes, it does matter."

"It's never mattered before, it's not going to matter now. Let's drop it."

"No way. You've never yelled at me like this before. Something is really wrong and I want to fix it."

"It's not worth it to hash it all out. We've done it before, nothing changed, so let's just learn to deal with it and move on."

"But Scully, we're partners. We have to make this work."

"We're not partners, Mulder. I don't know when you talked yourself into believing that, but we haven't been partners in a long time."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're my boss, Mulder. Being partners implies equality. I am completely beneath you, doing exactly what you want me to do when you want me to do it, telling you what you want to hear and taking your side at the risk of everything else in my life. You only pay attention to what I want and need long enough to persuade me to stick around. And when I'm not good enough, you ditch me. You don't care about me, no matter how much you have lied and told me that you do."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"Yes I am! You've been lying to me for a long time. "Oh Scully, I trust you, you're the only one I trust, you're my one in five billion." That was just crap. Who says stuff like that? No body unless they're manipulating someone. The only way you would ever place your complete trust in me is if I was Diana. She is the only one you trust."

"Well, you obviously don't trust me!"

"When have you given me reason to?"

"Look, as long as we're being honest, let me just tell you what I think of you. You're closed minded and judgmental and weak. You pretend that you're strong and can handle anything, but the time comes when you can't and your emotions screw up the case. You're out to prove that you can make it in a man's world and you do it at the cost of a case. You never want to hear any other idea than your own. You're dependent on what I think of you and you constantly seek my approval. You expect me to trust you implicitly, but would never give me your complete trust no matter what I did. You close yourself off to everyone around you, never letting anyone in. It's no wonder you haven't had a date in years. It is true what they say about you. You are an ice queen."

His words stung, but she refused to cry. It wasn't worth it. This whole relationship, this job. None of it was worth it anymore.

"I'm going home."

"You can't."

"I'm leaving," she said, quite emphatically as she took her jacket off the rack. "You're going to sit there and you're going to let me go."

"This fight isn't over."

"I think we've both said enough to last us for a while," she said quickly as she turned and headed out the door.

Mulder walked back over to his desk and slammed his fist into it as hard as he could. He shouldn't have said that. He knew that those were the things that would hurt her the most. How could he be so stupid? He was a jerk a lot of the time, and not the greatest partner in the history of the world. He deserved what she had said. She didn't deserve any of it. He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number quickly. She red buttoned him. He groaned and dialed again, getting her voicemail.

"I know you're ignoring me and you have every right to, but don't stay mad too long. We need to talk about this. You're my partner, no matter what you think. Scully, I am not going to apologize over the phone. Call me back."

He looked at the clock and decided to give her an hour head start before tracking her down.

* * *

Scully was just finishing the dishes when someone knocked on her door. She knew who it was, but she answered anyway.

"Mulder, I think you need to go home."

"No, we need to work this out."

"We don't. There's nothing more to talk about. I don't even want to look at you right now, much less spend hours talking to you, so let's just leave it alone."

"Scully, don't be dumb."

"I'm not. This is the first time I've been smart. You need to leave right now."

"Let me in."

"I can't. I'm sorry," she said softly, closing the door. He pushed against it from his side and walked into the middle of her living room.

"I'm staying here."

"Fine. I'm going to bed."

"Scully-"

She stopped halfway to her room and turned around, her eyes spitting fire.

"Mulder, I want you to get out and I don't ever want you to come back."

"What?" he whispered.

"You heard what I said. Please get out." She was on the verge of tears now.

"I can't do that to you or to me," he said as she began to walk away. He followed her and grabbed her shoulder, hoping to restrain her. The right fist to his jaw caught him off guard. She didn't hit him that hard, but it was enough to startle him. When he finally figured out what was going on, she was already in her room, curled up in bed.

"Scully."

"Mulder, if you have ever had any care or respect for me, you'll leave now."

"Why?"

"Because. I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?"

She sat up slowly, resigning herself to the fact that they _were_ going to do this now.

"Mulder, we can't work together anymore."

"Why?"

"Because we just… we just can't."

"Just because you're mad at me-"

"I'm not mad at you. I'm glad you finally told me how you feel about me. Unfortunately, what I know now makes it impossible for us to work together anymore. I'm going to request reassignment from Skinner in the morning. You'll be able to get a different partner and then maybe we'll both be happier."

"I don't want a different partner," he said as his eyes threatened to tear. "I only want you."

"I don't want you," she said softly, shaking her head.

He left the apartment.

Scully was quiet for a long time, looking at the spot of carpet where he had been standing. She wasn't sure she had meant what she said.

* * *

A/NII: I love a good spirited fight, but Golly!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is a lot shorter than the last one...

* * *

_October 1_

Scully didn't want to admit it, but she missed her partner. Maybe she didn't miss working with him, but she hadn't had a hug in a long time, and her laughs were few and far between. She went home from Quantico every night, ate dinner alone, watched TV alone, read a book alone. It was getting depressing.

So when she ran into him in the hallway at Quantico, her first thought was to wrap her arms around him and apologize and beg him to take her back. Instead, she remained a safe three feet away.

"Hi Scully," he said, trying not to meet her eyes.

"Hey. What brings you over here?"

"I had a meeting. How are you doing?"

"Good. How's everything in the basement?"

"It's okay. Are you busy right now?"

"I have to teach a class in half an hour."

"Oh."

"Did you want to have a cup of coffee?"

"You have time?"

"Yeah."

He smiled slightly and nodded.

They walked together to the cafeteria and paid for their coffee, then chose a seat in the corner.

"So…" she began, twisting the Styrofoam cup around and around in her hands. "Do you have a new partner yet?"

"I did for a while. I drove him crazy."

"I'm sorry."

"How about you? Are you enjoying teaching again?"

"It pays the bills."

"Do you miss being out on the field?"

"Yeah," she said after a long sigh.

"How's your mom?"

"Good. She misses you."

"I miss her too."

"You should call her sometime. She would love to hear from you."

"Scully, I'm sorry about everything. I didn't mean what I said and-"

"Mulder, stop. I don't want to talk about this right now."

"When are you going to want to talk about it?"

"I don't know. It still hurts. I'm just not ready."

"I'll be here when you are."

"I need to go. Thanks for the coffee."

"Scully, don't give up on me."

"I wouldn't do that to you, Mulder. I think you know me well enough to know that."

"Do I?"

"Mulder, I said I don't want to talk about it and that means that I don't want to talk about it. Can you please respect that?"

"Yes."

"I'll see you later."

* * *

_October 13_

Scully picked her phone up off the night stand and sighed. No one had called her after 9 p.m. in a long time.

"Hello?"

"Scully it's me."

She took in a deep breath.

"Hi, Mulder. Is something the matter?"

"No, but I'm writing up some reports for Skinner and I can't find the master expense report for July. I thought you might have a copy."

"Yeah, I do. I'll e-mail it to you in the morning."

"Did I wake you up?"

"No, it's fine."

"Okay. Well, thanks."

"Mulder, I'm sorry I was so short with you the other day. I just… I'm still trying to figure things out and I'm just not ready yet."

"It's okay, Scully. I understand. I just don't want you to forget about me."

"I will never forget about you, Mulder."

"Take your time working through this. And even if we can't be partners, I still want you as my friend."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Goodnight, Scully."

"Hey Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday."

He chuckled.

"Thank you. Go back to sleep."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Doodlie doodlie Doodlie DONE!

* * *

_Thanksgiving_

"Mom! How could you do that to me?" Scully asked, exasperated. Her mom just smiled. "This isn't funny mom. I can't spend Thanksgiving with him."

"You most certainly can and you most certainly will."

"But I'm not ready to be around him again."

"You've been saying that for months. Get over it already."

"Mom you make my life so difficult."

"It will be fine, Dana. You two can get over this stupid fight and be friends again. Besides, Charlie has wanted to meet him for a while. Now, get that scowl off your face. He should be here any minute."

Scully sighed. She had wanted to see Mulder and talk about things for a while. She just wished her mom wouldn't meddle in her life so much. She also hated when her mom was right.

There was a knock on the front door and she sighed again.

"Dana," Maggie warned. "Be nice."

"I won't have a problem being nice, mom."

"Good. Now go let him in, it's freezing outside."

Scully nodded and headed for the front door, then stopped short. Charlie had opened the door already, and was introducing himself. She giggled and watched the two men. The two men she cared most about in the world. Mulder caught her eye and she walked over with a smile.

"Hey Mulder."

"Hey. Happy Thanksgiving."

"You mean Happy Contrived Holiday that probably never happened the way they say it did." she corrected, referring to one of their long standing jokes.

"Exactly," he replied, smiling.

"Well, I guess you two have already met, so I'm going to go back into the kitchen, also known as hell, and get in mom's way some more."

"What, did she make you peel the potatoes again?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, except she lost her vegetable peeler so I had to use a knife. Check this out," she answered, showing him her cut up palm. "I'm not so good with a knife."

"Well, if you would have just pictured it as a body…" Mulder remarked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Ew!" Scully exclaimed, laughing. "I'm not going to be able to eat potatoes now. Thanks."

He smiled and their eyes met for a moment. They didn't even notice Charlie leaving the room.

"We should talk," she said finally.

"Now?"

"Dinner won't be ready for another hour and mom can spare me." She took his hand and led him into the den. She closed the door behind them, then turned to face him.

"I'm sorry, Mulder. I didn't mean those things. I was just hurt and mad and I took it too far. I still want to be your partner and I'll always want to be your friend. And I've missed you so much; I don't know how I'm still sane."

He chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry too. I didn't understand how much my relationship with Diana bothered you. But she and I are not going to be working together on anything anymore."

"What happened?"

"You were right. I can't trust her. I just wished I would have listened to you earlier."

"It's okay. It's over and done. Can we be partners again?"

"Of course. The office needs to be cleaned."

She laughed and buried her face in his chest.

"Mulder, you are priceless."

"Thank you. I've missed you a lot too. Do you know how many times I have heard a word like oblong and waited for you to start cracking up?"

"Probably as many times as I've inadvertently seen a plumber shot and looked around to see if you saw it too."

"Oh Scully, I'm glad we're friends again because no one in the world understands either one of us like we do."

"Mulder, that was the worst sentence I have ever heard, but I don't even care right now."

"That's good I guess."

"Now, let's pretend that this whole ugliness never happened."

"I can get behind that idea."

"Good. You have to sit next to me at dinner and help me steal rolls while mom says grace."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. Charlie usually steals marshmallows off the top of the sweet potatoes, and I get the rolls."

"Why?"

"Because it drives mom nuts."

"You're horrible."

"Tradition is tradition."

"Well, I guess…"

"Good."

She took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

"Okay mom, you win, we're friends again."

"It's a Thanksgiving miracle. Do you want to put your friendship to the test and set the table?"

"Mom, I hate setting the table."

"I know but I asked you nicely and there's an extra piece of pie in it for both of you."

"Deal," Scully said immediately, taking the plates down from the cupboard and handing them to Mulder. He just lifted her eyebrows at her. "Come on Mulder, it's worth the pie, believe me."

"Okay."

She grabbed the basket of silverware and he followed her out to the dining room. They began to set the table in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"You been on any good cases recently?"

"Not really. I've been helping out in some other departments, consulting with local police. A little different than normal, but not all bad."

"Good."

"Good? Why good?"

"Because this whole time I kept picturing you out in the field seeing all sorts of stuff and I was jealous."

"Scully, you hate that stuff."

"Maybe I just wanted to be there with you," she finally admitted after a long pause. He walked around the table and wrapped her in a hug.

"Maybe I wanted you to be there with me," he replied. She smiled.

"Well, at least we're on the same page."

"I told you two to be friends, not to paw each other," Maggie said as she came into the room. They immediately backed away from each other, Mulder trying not to laugh and Scully turning bright red- which only made Mulder want to laugh more.

"Mom, don't you have to go out and get a life or something?" Scully finally spit out, crossing her arms over her chest.

Maggie just smiled and left the room.

"As you were," she called back over her shoulder. Scully grinned a little and met Mulder's eyes.

"Sorry my mom's such a nut case."

"That's okay. I mean, she got me over here, didn't she?"

"That's true. I guess we owe her one."

"If we weren't the most stubborn people in the whole world..."

"I am not stubborn," she said.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"I am not. I am totally flexible."

"As long as everything is precisely how you want it."

"Well, that does make it easier."

"I think sometime in the near future, we need to sit down and talk about all of this for real."

"And make up some rules for fighting, like "Thou shalt not punch thy partner when he is trying to apologize.""

"Or "Thou shalt not be a jerk.""

"Or "Thou shalt not blow everything out of proportion, or keep everything inside.""

"And "Thou shalt not ditch thy partner under any circumstances, unless it endangers her life, in which case, thou shalt reconsider going in the first place.""

"Methinks we shalt go to counseling."

He grinned and hugged her close. It was good to have her back.


End file.
